Ramshackle homes an eyesore on the road

A row of shacks along Jalan Duta near Kampung Segambut Dalam in Kuala Lumpur has become an eyesore for those who come into the city through the North-South Highway. The 14 houses are built eight months ago by Indonesians with permanent resident (PR) status on a land that belongs to a Malaysian.

Resident Jaafar Sawar, 42, said they were renting the land from a Malaysian owner. The rent amounts to RM200 for each house. Jaafar, who has been in Malaysia since 1985, said he spent RM40,000 building his three-room, zink-roofed house. “I am looking after this place. Every month I collect the RM200 rental from the others and pass it to the owner,” he said. He added that the land had been lying idle. The residents, however, did not obtain any building permits from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL). “It is on private land, so what we do on it is supposed to be up to us,” Jaafar said. However, four months ago, they were issued notices of demolition by the DBKL for building illegal structures. “The landowner went to sort things out with the DBKL and, so far, nothing has happened. “DBKL officers have visited several times to take pictures of the place but nothing else has been done,” he said Before this, the residents were living at a different plot of land in the area.Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng said the Indonesian colony in the Segambut area was huge and the new colony was not the only one. Most of the homes are built on private land owned by Malaysians and then rented out to Indonesians with PR status. “They hold red identification cards so it is difficult for them to buy a house of their own. They are not big income earners, and therefore can’t afford to buy homes. “Looking at their financial status, banks will not give them loans and that is why they have resorted to building their houses like this,” Lim said.